Is It What You Wanted, Luv?
by junicorn1213
Summary: Wheatley Escapes aperture with Chell, and realizes he loves her.
1. Disobeying GLaDOS

"Hey Moron." The queen of AI's voice boomed around the young woman and the young android.

"Yes?" The skinny robotic man replied, timidly.

"Escort her up and then we'll discuss your punishment. Don't you dare step out of the 'd never survive out there anyway."

The elevator ride was painfully quiet. The android felt water in his eyes. I'd forgotten, they'd enabled my tear ducts. The door slid open and the young woman was taken aback by what she saw. A grassy field, with the sun just peeking out through grey clouds indicating rain was coming. For the first time in years and years, she breathed in real air.

She stepped out of the elevator and felt the grass with her feet. Free. I knew I'd get here some day, the words replayed in her mind several times before she processed them.

The android, however, had something else on his mind. "I... I'm sorry." he said to her, stepping out of the elevator, despite his mistress's harsh warning, looking at his shoes through tears.

She nodded stiffly and considered whether or not to comfort him. "It's all my fault. I did that, didn't I. I tried t-... to hurt you. To kill you. Please- I understand if you hate me. I'm so sorry." He looked up to meet her eyes through cracked glasses and heavy tears. He sniffed loudly and balled his fists. "Moron." He murmured. "She was right." He began to shiver barely as he wiped his tears forcefully away. "Go." He said, with his hands folded behind his back, scanning the open, endless, grassy field around him, and the overcast skies that he'd not seen since... That he'd not seen. "You're out. You're free. No one to watch you. No one to help you." He knew this was his inevitable ending. He had known somewhere in his artificial heart that he would find himself here eventually. A spasm of heat and anger erupted somewhere in the back of his head and he went for himself, tearing at his hair and face.

Chell watched Wheatley in utter sadness for only half a second before she grabbed his shoulders and slid her grip to his wrists, then brought his thin and shaking arms to his sides. She stepped back and tilted her head, keeping an intense stare on his quivering face, now pink where his nails had scratched. His eyes were blue. Intensely blue. His hair was a golden strawberry blond. This face she'd seen so many times was melting her emotions now. Her eyes heated up. Tears? She thought. So they feel like this.I'd long forgotten.

Wheatley turned around and started walking back to the elevator, to his imminent death. GLaDOS was waiting down below, like a sick executioner waiting at the gates of hell.

Chell, for the first time, felt something weird- something warm in her chest. The companion cube told me this would happen. Against her better judgment, she grabbed his collar and spun him around to face her. He stumbled and nearly fell backwards. His tears abruptly stopped as Chell smiled at him sympathetically, with her eyes just about to give in and pour out the years she'd wasted. But her dam of modesty held the ocean of hurt back, and she took Wheatley's hand. She motioned to the galaxy of everything she'd ever wanted that surrounded them. Freedom. He looked followed her gaze and held tight on her hand. "Well, we are out now..." Chell nodded and smiled. "Can we forget all that happened in the facility?" He asked doubtfully. Chell nodded and pointed to her head, but shook her head as she placed her free hand on her heart. "I know." he  
sighed.


	2. Rain

Just then it started to rain. Chell let go of wheatleys hand to walk further into the field and look into the sky. The cool sensation soaked her thin tank top and rinsed her hair. The thunder made her jump, the lightning made her smile. Wheatley watched as she ran and cartwheeled out in the rain, confused by the water falling from farther then he could tell. Not to mention the grumbles coming from where he stood. "The ground is hungry." He quietly concluded to himself. He was startled as an especially bright thread shot from the grey, fluffy clumps that blocked the orb of light he'd noticed when he was crying. "Ah... Chell? Is this safe?" She padded over to him on the soft, muddy grass and nodded, moving a stray strand of deflated wet hair from his forehead. "I'm so sorry." Wheatley whispered. Chell frowned and made a scratching motion towards his face with his own hand, and shook her head with force. She then tapped her heart and then his, and smiled. "You... We... We're going to die?" Chell smiled and shook her head. "You... We're related?!" Chell sighed and dropped her head, then looked back at him, her left eyebrow barely lifted, smiling slightly. "I am...You need to... We're friends!" Chell lifted her hand and twisted it a little, as if to say "Sort of". "We're just acquaintances?" Chell shook her head. "You forgive me-" Chell nodded and signaled for him to keep going. "But you still don't like me." Chell sighed and shook her head, placing a finger to Wheatley's lips. "Ok. Quiet. I need to be quiet." Chell briefly broke her smile to give him an annoyed glare. Wheatley gulped and nodded. Before he knew what was happening, Chell had her arms wrapped around his torso, just under his armpits. He'd seen other humans do this before, they called it a hug. Wheatley felt his face flush and shiver went down his spine. What now? _Am I supposed to hug back? _Taking a risk, he rested his arms around Chell's neck, not so tight as to choke her, only to feel her warmth.

Wheatley and Chell stood there for a while. Wheatley's mind raced. _Is this love? Because if it is... _"Chell?" Wheatley said, still holding on. Chell nodded her head. "I think I have had this... love thing about you for a while." Chell nodded, Wheatley could tell, because he felt her chin on his shoulder. She was a little shorter than him, so to rest her head on his shoulder, she had to be on her tiptoes.


	3. Little 4-wheeled boxes

The hug left Wheatley warm and blushing as they strolled in the rain, daydreaming of where their feet might take them. _She's just emitting optimism. I'd never even seen her smile before. _Wheatley thought to himself. He realized he was staring when Chell met his gaze and beamed at him. _We're going to be ok_, she thought. Wheatley, embarrassed, redirected his gaze to the endless liberty he walked upon.

After hours of comfortably silent walking, the rain had stopped and the air was moist and breezy. Wheatley Gasped as the flat field they'd been walking on for hours sloped downward and turned into a hill, overlooking something strange.

Chell knew it to be a city, but to wheatley, it was a maze of black concrete that humans rode big, metal, box-like things with wheels on, around hundreds of above-ground buildings of all different colors and shapes. He even saw humans walking with strings tied to furry monsters, throwing spheres to each other, and riding two-wheeled contraptions that they powered with their feet. Everyone was wearing different things, too. Chell laid down on the hill, propping up her head enough to see the glorious city. Wheatley sat beside her. "Is it all you ever wanted, Luv?" He said, making a sweeping motion with his hand towards the city. Chell nodded and sat up, holding Wheatley's hand. "Me too," he lied. All he'd ever wanted to do was help that one special test subject. He realized he had failed terribly, but at least she was happy. Which made him happy too, because he'd also learned that he loved her. And he was pretty sure she loved him too, because she leaned in and fell asleep with her head on his shoulder, latched onto his hand.


	4. Stars

When she woke up it was dark, but not too late, because there were still humans riding those 4-wheeled boxes around. Wheatley was standing up, fixated on the skies.

He spun around to face chell. "Ah. You're awake. Good." Chell nodded and rubbed her eyes. She followed Wheatley's gaze up. The stars were incredible, they took her breath away. "What are these amazing little lights!" Wheatley laughed. "I've never seen anything like them! It's like... Like billions of little lightbulbs in the sky! I overheard a test subject talking about these before." Chell smiled at his bewilderment. It was then that she fully forgave him for everything he'd ever messed up. "Stars. He called them stars..."

Chell could see the stars, but she could also see the moon- a memory of how she'd saved Wheatley from a forever life in space. As if thinking the same thing, Wheatley found himself staring at Chell again. When she scanned down from the sky, she caught his eyes, two glimmering stars on their own. "Thank you, by the way, I ah... I never thanked you for um..." He chuckled awkwardly. "Saving MY life." Chell smiled slightly and patted him on the shoulder. "You really are kind for doing that- I mean, I even tried to KILL you and you saved me against GLaDOS's orders! That was pretty badass, you know, I can't thank you enough." Chell sighed and held back giggles. It was pretty badass, she thought to herself as she stared beyond the hill back to the city's own stars, glimmering windows and street lights. She could see people walking down the streets, innocent, happy, oblivious, normal, perfect people.

Her heart she'd tried to tape together with possibilities of the future was in rough shape all of the sudden. Her past would never be just left behind, it would always be following her, every time she tried to sleep, every time she tried to focus, every time she tried to make a step forward. It was the same for Wheatley, but maybe a little more. He had, after all, tried to kill Chell. He winced as he thought of it.

"Well, it's getting around curfew..." Wheatley sighed. "There's got to be somewhere to catch some rest down there." Chell was suddenly aware of how hard this would be, being back with other humans, being mute, being money-less, being so... Different. She turned to Wheatley who was smiling his oblivious, optimistic smile. When he noticed her expression was melting from relaxed to worried. This made him frown and adjust his glasses as he struggled for the right words.

"Ah... Yes, you're... You're nervous, huh? A-and with good reason too, I'm worried too..." You moron. This is going nowhere. Wheatley decided to just cough up whatever he really wanted to say, what he'd want someone to say to him in that moment.

**"Listen. This is a big step for both of us, it's bloody terrifying, I mean, hell, I'd never even stepped above ground, you don't talk, and you might still have some very minor brain damage. But you know, there's nowhere on earth I'd rather be than right here? I'm with you, and we're being faced with this... This GRAND opportunity to become human! And it's a lot to do, but maybe, if we stick together, we can make it. These people seem... So normal, and it's intimidating. Who will let us into their homes? Who will feed us? Who will give us new jobs to feed ourselves with? There's got to be at least one person who can sympathise. You humans... You're... You're really incredible creatures. There's so many of you, so many different kinds, whereas, the AIs, they haven't been shown much emotion, they've never had the chance to reflect, to realize there's more. I'm really, really excited, actually. I'm lucky, yeah, that's the word. So, just down this hill, there is our portal to our whole future. Would you like to cross over with me?" Chell stared for a moment, in awe of Wheatley's surprisingly solid proposition. She gave him a quick nod and he took her hand, leading her to the glimmering city. **


	5. Hotel

Chell mentally patted herself on the back for remembering human etiquette as they struggled to walk down the steeply sloping slipper hill. "Ah... I'm sorry but, I don't exactly know what I should act like when we're walking around, I mean, I do know my english and all that and what not to say, but... The paths and wheel boxes confuse me so..." Chell chuckled under her breath and point at his eyes, and motioned to her legs. "Follow your ways?"' She nodded. "This is going to be difficult if you won't talk..." Chell glared at him and let go of his hand. "Sooorry! Sorry. Yeah, the brain damage... I forgot about that... Sorry, truly..." He trailed off as they stopped before the sidewalk. Wheatley was a little frightened by the sudden wildness in Chell's eyes. "H-... Here goes life!" He murmured as they simultaneously stepped onto the concrete, into society.

Wheatley was in total awe of the city. So much life and joy. Humans never seemed happy at Aperture, unless they were drugged. Or insane. There were quite a few people like that. He kept a close watch on Chell's feet, though. Following her through the twists and turns. Chell had remembered what to do at crosswalks, _Thank god, _she thought. Wheatley was thirsty for the sights, and extremely curious. "Hang in there, there will be plenty time to enjoy all of the eventually," Wheatley whispered to himself.

Just then, Chell stopped and Wheatley almost bumped into her. She'd stopped in front of a huge tan building that read "Swickem's Hospitality Hotel". "A hotel?" Wheatley said quizzically. "Is this one of those places for sick people?" Chell shook her head as he held the door for her. "Is this one of those places that takes in the humans with no money?" Chell shook her head again and pointed to a picture on the wall of a woman and a man standing in front of a bed with a suitcase. "Oh, this is one of those places where you can stay for a few nights and they'll make your bed and bring you food?" Chell shrugged and nodded at the same time as if to say "More or less." "Ok, I think I have some idea of what to do..." Wheatley mumbled as he approached the dapper young gentleman at the desk.

"Ah... Hello, sir, we're not exactly from around here... We were wondering if you could spare us two, um... Rooms? We don't mind what condition they're in."

"Why, of course sir! Call it... 70 bucks a room." The young man had an obnoxious ring to his voice.

"Bucks? Um..."

"Dollars, man. Really?" The man at the desk deflated as if he'd used up all of his fake happiness in his first answer.

"Oh! Yes, well we don't- we're coming from a strange situation and we just need a place to rest, but we don't really have the money to pay..."

"Well then, I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

"But-"

"Get out of here, bum."

Just when Wheatley was about to walk away, a busty woman in a dark purple business suit walked in. "Jeremy! We don't talk to our guests like that. What's the problem here?"

"The dude can't pay."

"Not a problem. We are Swickem's HOS-PIT-AL-IT-Y after all, grumpy." The woman emphasised every syllable to "Jeremy" and laughed a deep and jolly laugh as she directed Wheatley and Chell into the elevator.

"So where are you two coming from? Are ya hitch-hikers?" She casually asked as Chell silently despised being in an elevator.

"Well, not exactly, I'm Wheatley, and this Chell, we've been ah... relocated."

The woman looked at him curiously. "If you say so." She said, as she lead them to their rooms, two small carpeted cozy little spaces at the end of the hallway.

"Thank you so, so much." Wheatley was half falling asleep as he opened his door. Chell nodded and smiled at the purple-clad woman.

"Enjoy your stay!" The busty woman turned sharply and headed back to the elevator.

"Night, luv. See you in the morning, Bright and early, eh?" Wheatley said sleepily to Chell, who waved and yawned. They both entered their rooms and fell asleep as soon as they flopped onto the cheap and hard but warm mattresses.


	6. Sleep, Finally

You'd think Chell would be tormented by her subconscious ,but her aching legs and back had won and she slept silently, peacefully. For the first time in as long as she could remember, she wasn't being watched.

Wheatley, on the other hand, had subconsciously switched out of sleep mode at around 2 in the morning. He scanned the room for things to do. The room was empty, except for a bed and a small bathroom off the side of the door, and a cracked window next to the bed. Wheatley crawled across his bed to sit on the edge and see what he could make out through the worn and thin sheet of glass that separated him from the rest of the world. There were lights. The stars were less visible when all those lights were on. In buildings, on the street. So much light. Orange and blue gel began to seep over and through the cracks on the window. A laser flickered on and he could make out a turret and hear its voice that so reminded him of the queen whom he had previously disobeyed. He flinched and stood still as he painfully anticipated the bullets and sting of the laser, but it never camp. He looked back to see there was nothing but the blurred lights and his faint reflection on the unpolished glass. He sighed heavily and crawled back under the cover to star at the white and molding ceiling. Suddenly, he was reminded of the day he had come to help Chell. The ceiling had looked similar. Low and ominous. He drifted to sleep to the song stuck in his head. _Does it trouble your mind the way you trouble mine..._

**_Sorry, I know it's a short chapter. But it's been a while and I'm back and having a little writers block... I'll try to put out some more chapters out this week! Thank you for the follows and favorites and keep reviewing!_**


	7. Fences and Cars

"No, see, it's not free for more than one night. You said it yourself. You even said we need to break our habit of letting the hitch hikers in for free, at the staff meeting!"

"Mmmm, I guess you are right. I just hope they'll be okay. Do you think we can find them a place to stay tonight?"

"No Ma, they're adults, they can manage themselves."

"I'm not so sure about the girl, though, she seems like she has problems..."

Chell rolled over to face the door so that the sun from the window caught her back. Two people were having a conversation just outside of her room. And it sounded like it was about her and Wheatley. Before she could even get up to check through the peephole, someone knocked on her door. She stretched and slid out of her bed to open the door. She was greeted by the same roundish woman but instead of "Jeremy", she was with a boy who couldn't have been more than 17 with the same reddish brown hair.

"Good morning, um... Michelle," Chell cringed at her real name being mentioned. "We are, ah.." It was clear that the woman was having a hard time, so her apparent son stepped in the room and guided Chell out with a hand on her back.

"Going to have to ask you to leave. Sorry, it's been fun, come again." He closed the door behind her and pounded on Wheatley's door with his fist.

"WOT? WOT'S 'APPENIN!" Chell stifled giggles as she heard the "thump" of Wheatley falling off of his matress.

"Sir, if you'd just open your door, It's time for you (sigh) to leave."

Wheatley flung the door open nervously. "Ahmm, Yes, ah, we'll be on our way now.." He glanced over to Chell who shrugged and woman smiled and directed them towards the elevator. Wheatley and Chell stepped in and looked at each other.

"Well, wot now?" Wheatley half-laughed. Chell looked at her feet and grinned. Still free, she thought to herself as the door walked out of the hotel and into the early morning's dim light. Very few cars were about. The two crossed the street and walked along all the picket fences and mailboxes. These fragments of humanity seemed to shove Chell around inside. She reached out to run her fingers along the side of a car. Wheatley grabbed her arm.

"Stop! No!" he yelled. Chell glared and shook her arm free. "You don't know what that is! What if it's some kind of disease spreading animal?" a woman across the street took her son's hand and pulled him along in the opposite direction. Chell patted Wheatley's shoulder and shook her head, smiling. Wheatley blushed and folded his arms and walked faster out of embarrassment. Chell caught up with him and smiled at the sun that sprinkled reassurement on her shoulders. She didn't notice the older woman who held her curtain aside and stared as they walked past.


	8. Grace

Chell pulled Wheatley's arm close to her and held on lightly as they walked, both for comfort and to hold herself up. She was weak from not eating. Wheatley could feel himself blushing again. They walked across several streets and through multiple alleyways before Chell realized they were walking in circles. She let go of Wheatley's arm to tap his shoulder. "Mmhm?" Wheatley responded emptily. He was clearly deep in thought. Chell nudged him again. "Yes?" Wheatley appeared less distant as he turned his head to look Chell in the eyes. She tried to translate her thoughts. "Spit it out, luv… Go on…" Chell was frustrated with herself. She made a circle motion with her hands. "Wha… Wot?" She tried again but instead motioned to the sidewalks as well. "Oh we're… Err… Lost?" Chell nodded. "We need to find a place to sleep tonight, or-" Chell's knees gave out and she nearly fell. Wheatley caught her and put his arm around her waist. "Before you pass out, is what I was going to say…"

They walked towards a small restaurant on the end of the street. "Ahm… Water, water's wot you need, eh… That's free, too, idd'n it." A few houses before the restaurant, an older woman stood on her porch.

"Hey! Hey there!" She called and waved at the lanky man who seemed to be the crutch of an extremely tired young lady. Wheatley tilted his head and pointed at himself as if to say, "Me?" "Yes, young man in the blue… I saw her fall, down the street. Come on, come up here…" She said, walking down her yard to open her gate. Wheatley helped Chell up the steps.

"Thank you ma'am, she needs food, and water, real bad, soon as possible if you can,"

"Of course. Just come right in…" Chell plopped down on the old, tan couch. it was cozy and smelled of china musk and oranges. Not much was in the room, the walls were baby blue, the fire place was barely glowing. Chell looked at the clock, it was only noon. The older woman fetched her a glass of water and a piece of white bread. Chell ate the bread and drank the water in one gulp, and promptly fell asleep while Wheatley stroked her hair and talked quietly to the older woman about things Chell was too tired to pay attention to.

"Did you guys come from far away?" The woman with shoulder length grey hair sat in a wooden chair across from the couch that Wheatley sat on with Chell.

"Um yes, ah... We did, we came from sort of a factory. Now we have nowhere to go, and… Are you alright?" Wheatley noticed the woman had a serious look on her face all of the sudden.

"Oh um yes! I'm fine and, if you need to, you two can stay here for a while, if you'd like…" It seemed odd to Wheatley how quickly she'd made this offer, but he decided that it was too good of an opportunity to pass on.

"Thank you ma'am, I think that'd be quite nice. I'm Wheatley, that's Chell, and you are…?" The woman seemed shocked by Chell's name.

"I'm Grace. It's nice to meet you. I'm sure you two would like to rest, I have a small guest room, and one of you is welcome to stay on the couch."

Wheatley still ran his fingers over Chells hair as they talked. "She can have the guest bed, I'll be comfortable on the couch." Even though it was noon, wheatley could feel himself drifting off as well.

"Oh! I'd almost forgotten, do you need food?" Grace stood up and began to walk towards the kitchen. Oh no, Wheatley thought to himself. She can't find out I'm an android… Wheatley had the ability to eat, but it was of no use.

"Yes, I'd like just what she had, please." He ate, drank, and carried Chell to the guest room. He lay her on the bed and pulled the covers over her then exited for a nap on the couch, closing Chell's door behind him.


	9. Settling in

Chell woke up and it was early in the morning. She stretched and enjoyed another greeting from the gracious sun that seemed so happy to see her again. She turned over to see Wheatley sitting cross-legged on top of a quilt in the corner of the room. He grinned to see her awake and she grinned to see someone waiting for her. She crawled over to the corner of the bed to lie on her stomach and reach out to him. He crawled closer to her bed, too, and took her hand in his.

"Morning, luv. How'd you sleep?" He moved a piece of hair out of her face. She closed her eyes and nodded. "Good, good. Are you ready for the day?" She smiled and nodded again.

They both stood up and walked into the parlor to sit on the couch. Grace was already cooking breakfast in the kitchen that neighbored the parlor, cooking something that smelled shockingly familiar to Chell.

"Good morning! How are you two?" She smiled a bright smile.

"Very well. Thank you again for letting us stay here."

"Ah, no problem." She pulled a plate from the blue cupboards that hung above her sink, and moved the sizzling strips of what Chell then realized, was bacon, on to it and placed it in on the coffee table in front of Wheatley and Chell. Chell immediately devoured a couple pieces. She hadn't had bacon since she was much younger, and she didn't remember that, she just remembered that it was bacon.

"Oh my goodness!" Grace came back in the parlor. "I never offered you two a bath or clothing!"

Chell looked up briefly from eating to nod. Wheatley just rubbed the back of his neck, sneaking a sniff under his arm and deciding he probably could use a shower.

"Ah, yes, that'd be greatly appreciated. But I- I don't expect you'd have any clothes for me…" Wheatley muttered.

"Well, I have an old suit in the attic, but it's a little dusty… And not to mention unfashionable." Grace giggled. "It's just a brown suit and a turtleneck." She sighed, nostalgically. "Oh wait! I have some pajamas that'd fit you. If you don't mind wearing them while I run your clothes through the washer."

Wheatley accepted the offer, and chose to take a quick shower in the guest bathroom, while Chell was led to Grace's closet. "You get the special treatment!" Grace smiled at Chell, who was in bewilderment of all the clothes. "Now, sweetheart, um… Do you plan to speak?" Chell shook her head and shrugged lightly. "That is fine. I understand, you do what you want, okay? You're free now. Don't worry, I understand you." Chell was mildly unsettled by the words 'understand' and 'free'. But she chose to just pay attention to the clothes that surrounded her. "Pick out some things, why don'cha?" Chell browsed until she found a little white blouse and some simple black jeans. Before she could even make a motion of thanks, Grace said "Pick out some cozy shoes, too. Your feet must ache like wild." Chell realized she was still wearing her fall boots. She sat down and pulled them off. She closed her eyes and smiled at the free feeling it gave her. She had to hold on to Grace's shoulder for a few minutes when she stood up though.

She decided on a pair of orange flats. "Good choice!" Grace helped her fold up the blouse and jeans neatly and she carried them into the bathroom, Chell following behind. Grace ran a bath for Chell, and then left to finish making breakfast.

By the time Chell got out of the curious thing called a "bath", her fingers were pruned, but she felt a million times better. She slipped on the clothes, which fit her surprisingly well. Same body type, I guess. She thought to herself, as she straightened her blouse. Grace knocked on the door. "You dressed?" she asked, through the door. Chell opened it and Grace came in. "Need a hair brush?" Chell nodded and pulled out her pony tail holder. Grace nodded and went to the parlor to serve Wheatley breakfast.

He sat on the couch, his hair still damp, wearing blue striped pajama pants and a baggy t-shirt. He felt fresh and clean. Grace put a plate of eggs and toast in front of him, which he thanked her for and quietly ate. Wheatley was deep in thought as he chewed and swallowed. He thought about this curious Grace character, and how long he could stay. He thought about how Chell couldn't talk, and he thought about if they would be together for always. He thought about GLaDOS, and he thought about his old core body, he thought about the people at the hotel, he thought about everything, because for once he had a quiet minute to. Chell was okay, and that was all that mattered to him, at the moment. He took a good 7 minutes to think about how terrible he felt though. And how much he owed her, and how lucky he was to have her forgiveness.

Chell walked out of the bathroom, hair brushed, teeth brushed, clothes on. As soon as she stepped into the parlor, she took Wheatley's breath away for a moment. She smiled in his direction. She's lovely with her hair down, idn't she… he thought to himself. He scooted over and made room for her on the couch. She ate her breakfast and wiped her mouth with her napkin, and once she was sure her hair was dry, pulled it back into a tight pony tail.

Grace took her spot across the coffee table on the wooden chair and grinned at Wheatley and Chell, who she couldn't help but notice, smelled a LOT better. "So, you two can stay with me for a little while, but I expect you to help a little around the house, if you do."

"Y-yes! Of course, that is if you show us the ropes." Wheatley mentally checked that off of his list of worries.

"Sure I will! But that's for later. Now, you two just get comfortable, okay? I'm sure you're still exhausted from the trip." Grace took up their plates. "Oh, and I have to go to work. I'm just at the garden store down the street, okay?" She added from the kitchen.

"Ah, sure," Wheatley replied. Grace took a green jacket off of the side of the couch and tied an orange scarf around her head.

"See you guys later." She winked and closed the door behind her, and left Chell to try and figure out what was so familiar about her.

**Thank you so much for all the follows and sweet reviews! You guys are awesome! I'm feeling inspired, more on the way! 3**


	10. Clean Suit

Wheatley and Chell sat on the couch, comfortably silent. They were clearly both deep in thought, and they respected that of each other. It was just that kind of moment- very still and cozy.

Eventually Chell broke the silence with a sigh, and she stood up to examine a photograph that was tucked between pages of a large book of modern art that sat on the coffee table. She wanted to pull it out to look closer, but it was apparently being used as a bookmark. So she looked at the corner that shyly stood outside of the book. She could barely recognize someone's face, a woman that looked just like Grace, but with brown hair and younger skin. _Grace at a younger age, I assume…_

She decided to learn her surroundings a little better, so she began to wander the house. There were 2 doors she hadn't been on the other side of. One had blinds that she chose to open, revealing a small back yard full of beautiful flowers. Clearly, Grace had a knack for gardening. The colors took Chell's breath away, the reds and blues and yellows and pinks. She opened the door and slipped off her shoes, to walk barefoot in the grass.

Meanwhile, Wheatley wandered about the house. He ran his fingers along the walls and thought more and more. He hummed to himself, and realized he missed music. He was not a musician, nor a dancer, but he always enjoyed when he found a stray radio back at aperture. He concluded that he must ask Grace for some music when she came home.

At the end of the hallway he found the backdoor, the blinds open. He looked out to see Chell laid back on a white rocking chair. The sun caught her face at the perfect angle. He smiled and decided to give her some space, and went to pull his suit out of the dryer.

It was very warm when he put it on, it was snuggly and soft and it smelled lovely. His black dress pants were softer and he could bend his knees a little lower, the mud stain was out of his shirt, and his blue blazer looked a purer blue. He smiled in the guest room mirror and parted his hair to the side. He flashed a smile at himself and adjusted his glasses.

When he walked out of the room, he turned to his left instead of going straight into the parlor, went down the hall. He passed Grace's bedroom door, and the other kitchen entrance, and stopped in front of a closed door a little ways away from the backdoor. He had a brief conflict whether to open the door or not for a moment, and gave up, because he just couldn't bare the curiosity.

To his deepest disappointment, it was locked, but he pressed his ear up against the door.

He could hear a very light static sound- as if from a radio. Just then, Chell walked in too, and looked at Wheatley in a confused fashion. But she came beside him and pressed her ear against the door too. She heard the static sound and lingered for a moment before shrugging and exiting to the parlor, where she sat on the couch. Wheatley took his spot next to her. She reached for a strange device, which she recognized as a television remote, since she'd had a tv in her chamber back at aperture.

She pressed the on button. A strange movie was on, the characters were animated and had silly voices. Wheatley and chell were both very entertained by the odd cartoon. They giggled a lot and eventually found themselves very close to each other on the couch. Chell pulled hugged knees up to her chest and leaned on Wheatley's shoulder. He put his arm around her shoulder.

When Grace got home she found Wheatley and Chell asleep on the couch, and the tv blaring. She grinned, turned the tv off, and started to cook dinner.


	11. What a Voice

That night, Wheatley heard murmurs coming from Chell's room. "Aw, she's sleep talking." He smiled and put his head back on the quilted pillow on the couch.

"SLEEP TALKING." He opened his eyes and exclaimed in a whisper-yell. He Squinted his eyes, scratched his head, and slid drowsily off of the couch, and hobbled over to open Chell's door. The streetlight glow cascaded from in between the blinds, down onto her face. Yes, she was indeed sleeptalking.

"No… Gem… She's no gem…" She furrowed her brow and huffed.

"What a voice," Wheatley whispered to himself. He decided to let her sleep. He walked out, closing the door behind him. But in the second he let go of the doorknob, she began to talk again. So he sat back against her door and listened closely to her words. He couldn't make out everything through the door, but there were a few words that he heard more than once, and quite clearly. Every few minutes she'd raise her voice. She'd say the same few words when this happened. "Reflect… Buzzer, art. Reflect. Docking… Station. Vegetables. Flippin'… Vegetables!" Her voice rose significantly, and Wheatley heard soft and uneven breaths, as if she was weeping. He opened her door and crawled on his hands and knees to her bedside. He put his elbows on the mattress and rested his head on one hand. He placed the other on her shoulder. His face was so close to hers, he could feel her breath. After he patted her shoulder a few times, her eyes shot open. She almost screamed, but instead hugged Wheatley around the neck and whimpered. He hugged her back. When she let go, he stood up and smiled sympathetically.  
"Will you be alright, Luv?" She nodded and closed her eyes. He walked out to the couch, this time leaving her door open.

He was awake just long enough to hear her mumble "Apple…"

**Short chapter, but more on the way! Love you guys 3**


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